Association of opioid prescriptions from dental clinicians for US adolescents and young adults with subsequent opioid use and abuse.

Schroeder AR, Dehghan M, Newman TB, Bentley JP, Park KT. JAMA Intern Med. 2018 Dec 3; [Epub ahead of print].

This retrospective cohort study found that opioid-naive adolescents who received an opioid prescription from a dentist were more likely to receive a subsequent opioid prescription or be diagnosed with an opioid use disorder compared to opioid-naive adolescents who did not receive an opioid prescription from a dentist. This finding is consistent with prior studies in adults, demonstrating increased risk of subsequent opioid use following short-term prescriptions. The authors urge caution in prescribing opioids to adolescents.

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